Celebrated Kompakt staple The Field returns to the spotlight with The Follower, his fifth full-length offering following From Here We Go Sublime (KOMP 057CD, 2007), Yesterday and Today (KOM 193LP, 2009), Looping State of Mind (KOMP 094CD/KOM 241LP, 2011), and Cupid's Head (KOMP 110CD/KOM 290LP, 2013). Swedish soundsmith Axel Willner is well known for his mastery when it comes to the allusive layering of loops, but it was with his 2013 album Cupid's Head that a newly found, somewhat pressing snappishness started to replace the soft-hued sonics of his ambient-infused techno, imbued with a darker mood and stronger footing than before. A carefully gauged balance of stoic motorik and gloomy drones was key here -- just as it is for The Follower, which goes even further in blurring the lines between concrete experimentation, body music, and precisely laid-out arrangement, leading to one of the most rhythmically and texturally engaging listening experiences in Willner's catalog. Title-track "The Follower" opening on a surprisingly muscular groove and setting the tone for what could be considered The Field's most floor-attuned work yet; a raw bounce dripping with foggy acid and marching percussion catches long-time fans off-guard while providing a perfect entry point for curious newcomers. Follow-up cut "Pink Sun" quickly finds its pace with one of these perpetually rotating hooks for which Willner is known, while "Monte Verità" specializes in tunefully glitched vocal samples with accompanying bass workout. This powerful, propelling album build-up finds its first moment of introspection with the mountainous "Soft Streams," an exciting synth journey that emits both ethereal and kinetic propensities. "Raise the Dead" presents The Field's focused sonic storytelling at its minimalist best, gyrating around a basic motive for a while before joining an earthy beat and opening up the sunshine roof. It's a winding, hypnotic track that also works particularly well as transition to the album's remarkable closing chapter; the slow-paced "Reflecting Lights" shows Willner at his most refined, evoking his often-quoted appreciation of Wolfgang Voigt's ambient project Gas as well as an obvious fondness for kraut synthesists and their trance-inducing exploits. The Follower shows a consistent evolution in The Field's trademark style of creation, but may very well be considered one of his most vibrant and visceral outings yet.

Double LP version. 180-gram vinyl. Includes download code. Celebrated Kompakt staple The Field returns to the spotlight with The Follower, his fifth full-length offering following From Here We Go Sublime (KOMP 057CD, 2007), Yesterday and Today (KOM 193LP, 2009), Looping State of Mind (KOMP 094CD/KOM 241LP, 2011), and Cupid's Head (KOMP 110CD/KOM 290LP, 2013). Swedish soundsmith Axel Willner is well known for his mastery when it comes to the allusive layering of loops, but it was with his 2013 album Cupid's Head that a newly found, somewhat pressing snappishness started to replace the soft-hued sonics of his ambient-infused techno, imbued with a darker mood and stronger footing than before. A carefully gauged balance of stoic motorik and gloomy drones was key here -- just as it is for The Follower, which goes even further in blurring the lines between concrete experimentation, body music, and precisely laid-out arrangement, leading to one of the most rhythmically and texturally engaging listening experiences in Willner's catalog. Title-track "The Follower" opening on a surprisingly muscular groove and setting the tone for what could be considered The Field's most floor-attuned work yet; a raw bounce dripping with foggy acid and marching percussion catches long-time fans off-guard while providing a perfect entry point for curious newcomers. Follow-up cut "Pink Sun" quickly finds its pace with one of these perpetually rotating hooks for which Willner is known, while "Monte Verità" specializes in tunefully glitched vocal samples with accompanying bass workout. This powerful, propelling album build-up finds its first moment of introspection with the mountainous "Soft Streams," an exciting synth journey that emits both ethereal and kinetic propensities. "Raise the Dead" presents The Field's focused sonic storytelling at its minimalist best, gyrating around a basic motive for a while before joining an earthy beat and opening up the sunshine roof. It's a winding, hypnotic track that also works particularly well as transition to the album's remarkable closing chapter; the slow-paced "Reflecting Lights" shows Willner at his most refined, evoking his often-quoted appreciation of Wolfgang Voigt's ambient project Gas as well as an obvious fondness for kraut synthesists and their trance-inducing exploits. The Follower shows a consistent evolution in The Field's trademark style of creation, but may very well be considered one of his most vibrant and visceral outings yet.

Limited 2015 repress, formerly an RSD-exclusive release. If we would have to name one thing Kompakt's fans have been consistently asking for, it's a vinyl version of The Field's legendary first album From Here We Go Sublime: originally rolled out in 2007, this much-acclaimed full-length debut of what was to become one of the most celebrated projects in Kompakt's artist fold saw a regular CD edition and an accompanying 12" sampler -- but never a full vinyl release. Axel Willner aka The Field joined the Kompakt family in 2005, bringing forward a new fusion of ambient and techno that fed on his adoration for Wolfgang Voigt's classic '90s projects Gas and M:I:5 as well as the shoegazer rock of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. Called a "techno pop landmark" by Pitchfork, From Here We Go Sublime almost immediately became a cult favorite, starting a trend that continues to this day -- as can be seen with The Field's most recent full-length offering Cupid's Head that has been lauded by critics and crowds alike. The most striking feat of From Here We Go Sublime must be its sonic cohesiveness, debuting a fully-formed artistic vision that -- seven years and three albums later -- hasn't lost any of its luster. As a fixture in The Field's discography, it remains as important as ever, with Axel Willner installing a blueprint that inspired many but sounds like no one else... except himself. Giving you a feeling of warmth and familiarity on first listen that you can't quite grasp, it's like this sound has always existed, when in fact it was the unique creation from one highly gifted producer. And it all starts here. Pressed on 180 gram audiophile grade vinyl, including a CD version of the album.

With Cupid's Head Remixe II, Kompakt caps off a series of remixes of tracks off The Field's acclaimed album Cupid's Head (KOMP 110CD/KOM 290LP), on limited 12" vinyl with contributions from John Tejada, Tim Hecker and TM404. Tejada continues his victory lap on contemporary dancefloors with a deeply affecting take on album centerpiece "No. No...," surrounding the somewhat desolate vocal samples with heartwarming synth washes and melodic momentum. Hecker's mix seems to stick the closest to the track's original ambience, but with subtle tweaks and discreet sabotaging. Andreas Tilliander as TM404 presents a slightly uncanny take on The Field's monolithic looping.

Hailed as his "most diverse and satisfying statement to date" (Resident Advisor) and a "victory lap for the power of the loop" (XLR8R), The Field's Looping State of Mind (KOMP 094CD/(KOM 241LP) -- Axel Willner's third full-length under his most prevalent moniker -- ranked high in those 2011 charts, being featured on virtually every "best albums" list known to man and reaching well into 2012 with sold-out concerts and its universally-acclaimed remixes. Now, the Berlin-based Swede presents Cupid's Head, the first album recorded solo since his debut From Here We Go Sublime (KOMP 057CD) and a powerful touch-up of his landmark hypnotism, but also a departure for new shores both personal and musical. A first glance at the black cover already signals the profound changes entering the well-defined artistic framework of The Field, where the tools may remain the same, but the outcome significantly differs from what has gone before. The Field's multi-layered approach to sound now transcends its technicalities and reaches far beyond mere production values, entering a phase where its original message has become the medium for wildly differing emotions that also draw from Axel's many side-projects: ubiquitous traces of his alter egos -- like Loops Of Your Heart's ambient bliss or Black Fog's dark disco inspired by classic horror movie soundtracks -- can be found all over Cupid's Head. From opening epic "They Won't See Me" to the more upbeat (and very "Field-ish") title-track, the gauzy softcore of "A Guided Tour" or the intriguing ambient ornamentation of "20 Seconds of Affection," Cupid's Head invites the listener to a highly immersive experience that feels as comfortable on the dancefloor as it does in private. Continuously wandering off into the woods of its very unique sound world, the album finds not one, but many rabbit holes to bravely explore, basically rewriting the love letter to the loop that lies at the center of The Field's quasi techno to include more than that one recipient. More open than hermetic, Cupid's Head presents itself as tremendously accessible work, whose focus lies well beyond the tunnel vision of studio-bound antics or sophisticated navel-gazing.

After delivering one of 2011's most-lauded albums with Looping State of Mind (KOMP 094CD/KOM 241LP), Axel Willner marks the return of The Field with a high-caliber remix collection featuring Junior Boys, Blondes and Mohn. Junior Boys convert the album's title track into a finely-detailed pusher, sporting rippling synths and a Kraftwerk-like bass line. Blondes' take on "It's Up There" re-imagines the original as a bold single-take rendition with hypnotic gloss. Mohn takes the drama of "Then It's White" and shoots it into deep space.

This is the third full-length release by The Field for the Kompakt label. It's with the arrival of Looping State Of Mind that you finally realize that, for The Field's ambient techno explorer Axel Willner, the loop never stops. While fans and critics alike point to 2007's phenomenal debut From Here We Go Sublime (KOMP 057CD) -- included on Pitchfork's Top 100 albums of the 2000s -- and 2009's equally-stirring follow-up Yesterday And Today (released on CD on the Anti- label in North America; vinyl version on Kompakt worldwide: KOM 193LP) as standalone points of the Swede's music; it becomes clear that they appear as mere snapshots of what, for the producer, is a continual cycle of revolutions. Reveling in the warm recognition of their recurring patterns, imbuing conflicting twin senses of present and nostalgia, familiarity doesn't breed contempt; for Willner sees each loop as another chance to adjust, to build upon and multiply so that several of even the slightest nuances can combine to form a true aural evolution. So it is on this, The Field's third album, and yet so it has been too for the artist. Rewind three years and, plaudits from his debut LP still ringing in his ears and amongst resultant tours with LCD Soundsystem and !!!, he'd swapped his native Stockholm for the nocturnal utopia of Berlin's heady streets and clubbing scene. A major internal shift occurred, meanwhile, when he invited Dan Enqvist and multi-instrumentalist Andreas Söderstrom -- since replaced with drummer Jesper Skarin -- to turn his hitherto singular vision into a three-piece group. Yesterday & Today was the immediate reaction concocted by the alchemy of those events, gaining more plaudits and leading to headlining tours of Europe. Looping State Of Mind is the strengthening of those bonds and ideas, the addition of Skarin in particular -- Axel comments, "taking The Field to another level." It's this evolution that's notable on this record, a move away from the more unblended techno foundations that encapsulated From Here We Go Sublime, in particular. Instead, previous ideas have been expanded upon and, more importantly, new ones added; vocal samples now creep around signature sound washes, whispering on the periphery; greater contrast has been added with acoustic instruments such as double bass and piano recorded amongst the samples -- the result of recording in the fully-equipped Dumbo Studios in Kompakt's home town of Cologne. Many of the initial sketches, however, still came from Willner himself at his home studio in Berlin, suggesting an embryonic growth to the creation process; "some of the ideas stretching back to the debut are still there," he says, cementing this idea of furthering the re-visited, "but we've just made a real attempt to grow the sound." The album was mixed by Jörg Burger aka The Modernist.

2016 repress, forthcoming...; gatefold 2LP version, including free CD version of the album. This is the third full-length release by The Field for the Kompakt label. It's with the arrival of Looping State Of Mind that you finally realize that, for The Field's ambient techno explorer Axel Willner, the loop never stops.

The Field's Yesterday & Today (KOM 193LP) is one of 2009's most celebrated releases. Now, the cycle is complete with a collection of interpretations picked from 3 of today's leading newcomers in crossover electronic/indie music. Gold Panda has been causing a massive stir with his remixes for Bloc Party and HEALTH, and here he elegantly samples the vinyl from "I Have The Moon, You Have The Internet" into a savvy dub-stepped Dilla-esque roller. Other remixes by Rainbow Arabia and Walls.

2016 repress on vinyl, forthcoming... Gatefold, double vinyl version (with free CD of the same content included) of the highly-anticipated second full-length release by Axel Willner aka The Field for the Kompakt label.

This is the debut full-length release by Stockholm's own Axel Willner aka The Field. Willner joined the Kompakt family back in 2005 with the release of his cherished 12" debut Things Keep Falling Down, and he's been garnering non-stop attention ever since. His adoration for Kompakt co-owner Wolfgang Voigt's GAS and M:I:5 projects from the '90s and the shoegazer rock of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine brought forward a new fusion of ambient and techno that sounds wholly original and accomplished -- post-pop ambient anyone? The road was paved with his Annie remix that leapt onto the web and quickly became a cult favorite amongst the musical bloggerati, and the hype continued with last year's remix of Vice Records Scandinavian rockers, 120 Days. Found on well over 200 blogs and web zines, this exposed The Field to a whole new realm of fans. With his second Kompakt single "Sun & Ice" (which appears on this record) and a remix for James Figurine (of Postal Service fame), The Field has proven himself more than worthy of over-zealous blurbs and internet hype. The blissful, addictive, transformative sounds on From Here We Go Sublime absolutely speak for themselves. Samples abound throughout, immediately giving you a feeling of warmth and familiarity on the first listen that you can't quite grasp... like a warm glove on a cold winter's day. The Field's music literally breathes: harmonious drones mingle with the dizzying swell and reversed motion of bass drums and euphony. There is a ceaseless, cyclical signature familiar to all his music, but that's the most exciting part of The Field -- the beautiful dynamic of beats and space that exists in endlessness. Ten perfect tracks of narcotic, propellant stuff -- an important and significant debut that promises Willner quite a few more laurels to come.

2011 repress of the 3rd 12" from The Field, originally released 2007. 12" version; three DJ-friendly tracks from the debut album from The Field. The blissful, addictive, transformative sounds on From Here We Go Sublime absolutely speak for themselves. Samples abound throughout, immediately giving you a feeling of warmth and familiarity on the first listen that you can't quite grasp... like a warm glove on a cold winter's day. The Field's music literally breathes: harmonious drones mingle with the dizzying swell and reversed motion of bass drums and euphony. There is a ceaseless, cyclical signature familiar to all his music, but that's the most exciting part of The Field -- the beautiful dynamic of beats and space that exists in endlessness. Ten perfect tracks of narcotic, propellant stuff -- an important and significant debut that promises Willner quite a few more laurels to come.

2008 repress of the 2nd 12" from The Field, originally released 2006. This is Swedish guy Axel Willner and his new single for Kompakt called Sun & Ice. Absolutely liberated from all hipness and hysteria, Willner sings his own story of beautiful-poppy loop essentials, in his very own way. The Field means rustle like silk. Warmed by soundscapes. Guided by the bass drum. If this world were righteous and fair, The Field would enter the charts.

Classic 1st single from 2005, repressed! "Bizarre thoughts and classy patterns are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and the same with madness and method. However, one of the lessons you might learn from in-depth musicological considerations is that there may be right-minded, crazy gains which are far more than mere distortions of language, hi there, and welcome to Kompakt's head quarter. The so far unknown Swedish artist Axel Willner cracks every single security system installed at Kompakt's high security demo section by using poppy, self-loved cut-up-classy-splatter-loop-bits-and-pieces-patterns. Most convincingly, the field starts at the point where Profan had already been ten years ago: that is he transfers the basic essence of rhythm inherent in every 'Wicked Groove/Sexy Loop' into a kind of virtual space of deconstructing the self in order to liberate this loop from any discourse-infected, intellectual ballast of its author by means of a kind of mental washing machine. As long as I can dance to it." -- Roy Makaay.